Mat.



T. G. MQPHERSON.

MAT. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1906.

912,600. Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Q Vi/bweowo 77 WWW T. G. MOPHERSON.

, MAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28,1906. I v 91 2,600. Patented Feb. 16, 1909. J 2 SHEETSSHEET 2. /W'

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. McPHERSON, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO KEYSTONE WIRE MATTING 00., OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

MAT.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed February 28, 1906. Serial No. 803,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAsC. MePHER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful Mat, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metallic mats formed of strips, and the principal object is to provide a structure of t novel means to shapen or in ure is character with Cprevent its becoming IIllS- said means addlng rigid- 'ity to the mat and preventing distortion without materially increasing the weight of said mat or its cost of manufacture.

Another object is to provide in a mat of this character, devices for supporting the metallic body of the mat above the floor or other surface, and to employ novel and effective means for securing the said devices in said metallic body Without weakening the same.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the mat, showing the improvement, a portion of such mat being illustrated in section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view throughthe central portion of the mat. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of a modified form of construction. Fig. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 6 is a modification of the same.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Experience has .demonstrated that mats constructed of metallic strips are liable to have their marginal portions become missha on or bent so that either they will not lie ilat or cannot readily be folded and re versed. The present invention obviates this defect. In the embodiment illustrated in the first three figures, the mat is com osed of sections 7, each of these sections eing preferably constructed of a single strip tortuously arranged to form opposite or reversel disposed loops 8 havlng open and closed sides, said loops thereby producing longitudinally disposed webs 9 andrtrans- .verse webs 10. An additional loop, formed from a separate strip 14, is located in the served that the side arms or longitudinal Webs 15 of these additional loops he alongside and abut against the inner faces of the longitudinal webs of the section loops in which they are placed. Moreover itwill be noted that the closed ends of the additional loops abut against the closed ends of the section loops in which they are placed, and in like manner the open ends of said additional loops are disposed in the open ends of said section loops.

As illustrated, the closed ends of the 100 s of one section fit in the 0 en ends of tie 100 s of the adjacent section. The closed on s of the terminal 100 s of the mat sections in like manner enter t e open ends of the additional loops that are located in the adjacent sections. Pivot rods 11 pass through the said interfitting ends, and are spaced from the transverse webs. These rods have their ends ofiset, as shown at 12, and covered by the doubled terminals 13'of the section stri s. With this structure,

therefore, it wil be observed that the body of the mat above'the floor or surface onwhich said mat is laced, ad blocks 16 may be employed. hese b ocks can be located in the mat at any place desired, and may be of any suitable material. In the resent embodiment, they are arranged to Form the letter H, and thus it will be apparent that said blocks may be disposed to produce advertising matter. These blocks are employed in connection with additional stri s 17 that correspond in all respects to t e above described .100 '14. The loops 17 have side arms or we s, which embrace the blocks, and are enga ed with the adjacent pivot rods. One en of the block is provided with a slot 19 that receives one of the ivot rods, while the opposite end of each iilock'is held in place by a holding pin 20 passing therethrough and having its ends engaged in the side arms 18 of the strip 17, as shown in Fig. 2. The blocks are preferably a little thicker than the metallic portion of the mat, and consequently said mat will rest thereupon. With this con- The additional strips in this embodimentare substantially L-shaped, comprising longitudinal webs 12, transverse webs 13?", and reversely turned terminals 14. These strips, as in the first described embodiment are located in the end loops of each section.

The longitudinal webs 12 bear against the inner faces of the outer sides of the section loops. The pivot rods 11 pass through the overlapping portions of the loops, and engage the webs .12, as well as the terminals 14. This structure has substantially the same advantages as the one already described in that the margins of the mat are strengthened. by the additional strips, said strips bearing against the outer webs and agamst the closed ends of the loops in which they are placed.

Still another embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 5. Each section 7 consists of a tortuously arranged strip formed into reversely disposed loops 8* and 9 In this particular embodiment, certain of the loops as 8 are substantially V-shaped, a set of the same alternating with U-shaped loops 9". By this. arrangement, certaln of the webs "as 10 are diagonally disposed. As the outer loops 8 of the sections are substantially V-shaped, the

additional strips 11 employed, are of a corresponding configuration, comprising side arms or webs- 12 that fit within t 1e terminal loops 8', and are engaged at their ends with the usual pivot rods 13. with this same style of mat, a slightlymodified form of reinforcement may be employed. Such an arrangement is shownin ig. 6, wherein the sections 7 are composed of reversely arranged open 100 portions 8 and 9, forming convergently d isposed webs 10. In the outermost loops 8 are located the additional strips 11, each comprising a longitudinally disposed web having engagements at its ends with the pivot rods 12, one of the ends being turned back, as shown at 13, and having another engagement with the adjacent pivot rod.

In both the forms illustrated in Figs. 5

and 6, the same advantages are present as in the above described embodiment.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be a parent to those skilled in the art, without urther description, audit will be understood that various changes in the size, shape,

In connection.

proportion, and-minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any or the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A mat comprising a plurality of sections, each section consisting of a strip formed into oppositely disposed loops having open and closed ends, an additional loop located in each of the terminal loops of each section, said additional loop having an open end in the open "end of the section loop in which it is located and having a closed end abutted against the closed end of said section loop, being further more provided with an outer side or web abutted against the inner face of the outer side of the section loop, the closed ends of the loo s j of one section entering the open ends of t e loops of the ad acent section, the closed ends of the terminal loops of said sections in like manner entering the open ends of the additional loops that are located in the adjacent sections, and pivots. passing through said ends and constituting connections between the various sections.

2. A mat comprising a plurality of sections, each section consisting of a strip formed into oppositely disposed loops having open and closed ends, an additional loo located in each of the terminal loops of eac section, said additionahloop havin r an open end in the open end of the section oop in which it is located and having a closed end abutted against the closed end of said section loop, said additional loop furthermore being provided with spaced sides or webs that are abutted against the inner faces of the sides of the section loop, the closed ends of the 100 s of one section entering the open ends of t e loops of the adjacent sections, the closed ends of the terminal loops of said sections in like manner entering the open ends of the additional loops that are located in the adjacent sections, and pivot rods passing through said ends and constituting connections ,between the various sections. 1

3. A mat comprising a plurality of sections, each section consisting of a strip formed into oppositely disposed loops havin open and closed ends, the terminal loops aving convergentl disposed sides, additional loops located in t 1e terminal loops of each section and corresponding substantially in shape thereto, said additional 100 shaving closed "ends abutting against the c osed ends of the loops in which they are located and having sides abutted against the sides of such loop, the closed ends of the loops of one section entering the open ends of the loops of the adjacent sections of the additional loops, and pivot rods passing through the said ends and constituting connections between the sections. v

4. ,A mat comprising aplurality of secfastening devices securing said blocks to the tions bent into oppositely disposed loops additional loops independently of the section having open and closed ends, the closed ends 100 s. of theloo s of one section entering the open 1 testimon that I claim the foregoing 15 5 ends of t e loops of the adjacent sections, as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signapivot rodls1 passing thgugh $111011 enfds ang ture in the presence of two Witnesses. enterln t esections,a itiona stri s orme into lod ps and located in certain ol the sec-1 THOMAS MOPHERSON tion loops, said additional loops being en- Witnesses;

i 0 aged and held in place by the pivot rod, pad Jos. C. RoUzER,

locks located in the additional loops, and MARGARET GAVAN. 

